Pics of my off and thanks again. [Archive]

beyond

13th December 2006, 16:45

Hi all,

Just wanted to say thank you very much to all those who made sure I was ok, who helped load the bike onto the trailer and stayed with me on the side of the road after my off. For those who don't know what happened:
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=39925

Sorry if I did not seem quite with it at the time as my ankle was giving me a lot of pain but the Nurofens certainly helped. You guys and girls are great and I appreciated your company very much. Was a stink day all around apart from you all being there.

I'm out of action for another 5-6 weeks and my bike is being brought back to new at the moment. It didn't look to bad but to get it back to what it was is going to cost $5300.00. I'm insured with an $800.00 excess. If the swingarm had been damaged it would have been written off but only the axle and retaining nut need replacing in that section. The rest is tank, side cover, front wheel guard, mirror, handlebars, rear cowling, footpegs and hangers, indicators and left lower engine cover.

My gear is all good to go again with only scuffs, which suprises me when you consider the distance I slid and my helmet has only got a slight scratch.

Ride safely and I look forward to catching up again in the New Year.

Switch

13th December 2006, 16:48

Sorry to hear about the damage of the bike. I hope you get it all fixed and working. All the best.

WickedOne

13th December 2006, 16:51

Heal up soon mate!!!

Edbear

13th December 2006, 16:52

"Any landing you can walk away from..."

Bummer about the bike, but glad you're okay apart from the limp!

JimO

13th December 2006, 16:54

thank dog for insurance eh!

kiwifruit

13th December 2006, 17:01

i hope that 5-6 weeks goes quickly for you mate
see you out there :soon:

BarBender

13th December 2006, 17:04

Might be time to call Chris and get that ZX14 eh Paul?
I'm counting 2 random bins on that Zook.

Glad to hear the ankle is getting better.

2much

13th December 2006, 17:14

Glad to hear you're on the road to recovery mate. Berdien says hi and sends her best wishes.

SixPackBack

13th December 2006, 17:18

What gear were you wearing Beyond?

beyond

13th December 2006, 17:27

What gear were you wearing Beyond?

Ok, the gear I was wearing:
1. Tony in Christchurch was selling out his Minotaur two peice zip together leather suits. They held up really well. Only a back panel needs the Kevlar stitching redone, the backsides a little thinner than it was and both sliders got a work out. Glad I left them on. I won't ride without leathers from here on.
2. Quasimoto gloves. Shaved a bit of hard matter off the knuckle protectors. Real good gloves.
3. Forma touring boots. They look remarkably undamaged. A few scuffs. My ankle went when the bike came down hard on it after the footpeg snapped off. Maybe Sidi or similar race boots may have prevented the break. Dunno??
4. HJC AC-11 helmet. No contact except a scratch on the back.

mikey

13th December 2006, 17:32

Kornholio

13th December 2006, 17:35

Hey Paul, good to see you'll be up and running again soon, it wasn't good to see I must say.

Have a good rest man and see ya soon :D

dawnrazor

13th December 2006, 17:39

Maybe Sidi or similar race boots may have prevented the break.

probably not, they did their job - protected your foot ankle from abrasions and serious twisting and mangling - sorry to be crude

Lou Girardin

13th December 2006, 18:01

What tyres were on it when you binned?

beyond

13th December 2006, 18:11

Hiya Lou,

Was my new black GSX1400 running the tyres they came out with.
Bridgestone BT020's. The UK 1400 forum is full of tales of these tyres on this bike. They don't go together. May be fine on other bikes but not the 1400. They had 2600kms on them when it went down.

I hated them in the wet but never had a moment in the dry. On this particular corner I wasn't going hard, the pegs weren't scraping, only maintenance throttle and they just gave out for no apparent reason.

Some people say to me, I hoped you learned something from this. I say, well no. How can you learn from something when there was nothing to learn. I was doing everything right and have no idea why they would just let go with no warning or feedback. The corner was clean, it was fine????

While the bikes in the workshop, I've told them to get rid of those tyres. I'll never run them again.

Lou Girardin

13th December 2006, 18:15

There's a mix of comments about them on the T595 forum too.
Back to Z6's huh?

SixPackBack

13th December 2006, 18:34

Diablo Strada's could be a go.....great in the wet

Kornholio

13th December 2006, 18:52

Some people say to me, I hoped you learned something from this. I say, well no. How can you learn from something when there was nothing to learn. I was doing everything right and have no idea why they would just let go with no warning or feedback. The corner was clean, it was fine????

Ill back ya up on that one man.... it was an uphill corner with a nice camber and was wondering what the fuck was happening when all this smoke started coming out of the rear end....it looked wrong and shouldn't have happened...Paul did nothing wrong then

Told a guy with a 1400 down the road what happened and hes thinking of changing his tyres now

Diablo Strada's could be a go.....great in the wet

I use a Strada on the rear as do my VTR riding buddies and a Diablo Corsa on the front... good feel to them and pretty good in the wet

Mate had a Strada on the front of his and didnt like it, used tolet go and didnt give much confidence when cornering...he went to Corsa on the front and loves it :Punk:

Giddy up :sunny:

BarBender

13th December 2006, 19:47

I'm on Stradas and find the rear and awesome all-round tyre. But like most Pirrellis - after 20mins of fanging they tend to get very 'vague'.
Like the Korn's mate I'm not a fan of the Strada front. Will definitely try the Corsa for a change...

nodrog

13th December 2006, 20:22

Like the Korn's mate I'm not a fan of the Strada front. Will definitely try the Corsa for a change...

everybody i know that has run strada's will never go back to running a strada on the front, too many tales of the front end stepping out. all good on the back though.

jtzzr

13th December 2006, 20:24

Hey Paul , you lucky devil, mate some damned nasty scrapes on Black Beauty but your still here with us , and that`s what matters ,Paul you must of had good gloves , because your typings not bad(lol), Gosh you and Gary must be talking up a storm. Get well soon mate:rockon:

TonyB

13th December 2006, 20:47

Ok, the gear I was wearing:
1. Tony in Christchurch was selling out his Minotaur two peice zip together leather suits. They held up really well. Only a back panel needs the Kevlar stitching redone, the backsides a little thinner than it was and both sliders got a work out.
Like I said Beyond, I'm bloody glad they did the job! Its quite a relief actually, I mean in theory I knew they would be good, but the 2 piece hadn't had a serious test before your crash. Its a shame I'm not doing them any more, you can't buy advertising like that ;-)

Brett

13th December 2006, 20:48

Mate, i hope they suss out the reason that the bike decided to throw you. It doesn't *look* like it is too badly done in, so i hope they get it back on raod ASAP for you!

Cheers,

Brett

Insanity_rules

14th December 2006, 06:22

Hope the time goes fast for ya.

Leong

14th December 2006, 07:05

Sorry to hear about this Paul - way too many incidents in the last few weeks. Just plain luck that some of us got away with it, while others didn't. Sobering thought really. I was lucky that the damage to my bike amounted to less than $800.

Hope you heal well, fully and can be out enjoying yourself on a bike soon!

ceebie13

14th December 2006, 07:27

Ouch!....that reminds me. I must get some crash bungs.

Fishy

14th December 2006, 07:36

Its sad seeing pics of damaged bikes :(

You will still have plenty of fine weather left though mate once its back on the road and your ankle is better.

babyB

14th December 2006, 07:54

bugga. well wishes for good healing

blueblade

14th December 2006, 09:10

Glad to hear you and the bike are on the mend. Would rather see you out on the road than in these pages !!!!

The Stranger

14th December 2006, 09:46

Diablo Strada's could be a go.....great in the wet

Isn't the Strada a copy of the Z6?

Either way, the Z6 rocks, both wet and dry.

Dazza

14th December 2006, 09:59

Isn't the Strada a copy of the Z6?

Either way, the Z6 rocks, both wet and dry.Your dead right about the Z6, it's a damn good tyre,just got 6000k's out of the rear (totally shagged) and the front looks like it's just stating to wear. PS bugger about the off.

blueblade

14th December 2006, 10:07

The way you ride mate, I reckon you need a full on sports tyre. I think our riding styles are similar and when I tried the Stradas on my CB 1300 it did a fair bit of sliding. Not too bad on the road but all over the place on the track. Eventually went to standard Diablos and eventually Diablo Corsas. Both gave much more confidence than the Stradas but with the obvious price of reduced mileage. Well worth the trade off though considering the potential consequences. Even better than those two tyres is the Dunlop 208rr but you would probably only get about 2000 kms out of a rear (unless you slowed down a bit!!!!!!).

WRT

14th December 2006, 10:29

Some people say to me, I hoped you learned something from this. I say, well no. How can you learn from something when there was nothing to learn. I was doing everything right and have no idea why they would just let go with no warning or feedback. The corner was clean, it was fine????

While the bikes in the workshop, I've told them to get rid of those tyres. I'll never run them again.

Sounds to me like that's your lesson right there - if there is something wrong with the bike, sort it immediately, dont wait for the crash to confirm what you already suspected. $5-600 for a set of tyres is less than your excess, let alone medical bills, discomfort, etc.

Anyway, be good to see you back out on the road enjoying it again. All the best for a speedy/full recovery mate!

I'm on Stradas and find the rear and awesome all-round tyre. But like most Pirrellis - after 20mins of fanging they tend to get very 'vague'.

. . . when I tried the Stradas on my CB 1300 it did a fair bit of sliding. Not too bad on the road but all over the place on the track.

Have you guys tried lowering the tyre pressure before fanging or hitting the track? Just from these comments it sounds like you have too much pressure in, and once the tyres are getting hot its sliding round on you. Drop a few PSI before giving it heaps (but allow extra time for the tyres to warm up), and see how you get on.

blueblade

14th December 2006, 10:40

Have you guys tried lowering the tyre pressure before fanging or hitting the track? Just from these comments it sounds like you have too much pressure in, and once the tyres are getting hot its sliding round on you. Drop a few PSI before giving it heaps (but allow extra time for the tyres to warm up), and see how you get on.

Yep, used to drop pressures to somewhere between 30 and 33 psi on track. There is no getting away from the fact that the Strada is a harder compound than the Diablo or Corsa. From memory though, I think the Strada was better in the wet than the other two.

WRT

14th December 2006, 10:47

Fair enough, sounds about right to me.

I know from my own experiences that I dropped around 4 psi from road to track, had the same symptoms you describe. Keystone recommended dropping it further, another 3 psi gone and things came right for me.

(Pilot Powers, FWIW)

shafty

14th December 2006, 10:51

Sorry to read about your "off" mate - hope you heal up fast. Any sign of diesel on the road?- or do you put it down to the tyres?

blueblade

14th December 2006, 10:52

Tyres are such a personal thing. Currently running a Pilot Power on rear of my Tuono. Hate it compared to the Dunlops. Just gives no feedback and when it lets go it is very sudden. The 208's in contrast always gave plenty of warning and seemed to slide in a predictable and controllable way

WRT

14th December 2006, 11:11

Really? Damn, I've been loving these powers! Found them very sticky, had a few very slight slides, but nothing nasty at all. Then again, I havent purposely tried to flick the back end out, its always just been when I have been pushing it along and gassing early in the corner. Even then I've been impressed with how early I can get on the power, had put it down mostly to the tyres as I can get on it harder and earlier than I could on the TLR.

Edit: note I'm talking dry riding only, I'm a real nana in the wet . . .

SPman

14th December 2006, 11:59

If the swingarm had been damaged it would have been written off
It doesn't seem to take much for them to write the bike off! The ZX9 would have been OK but they found a small dink in the frame.....so.......

Interested in what tyres you're going with, cos the original Macadams on the XJR are just about rooted at 8000 K.
Thinking Z6's, coz I've had them before and was very impressed with them.

vifferman

14th December 2006, 12:09

Something just doesn't sound right here. If the rear end suddenly slid, and "all this smoke started coming out of the rear end", that's not the tyre losing grip, that's more likely to be the rear locking up for some reason. A stone flicking up and temporarily jamming the caliper? Something jammed in the swingarm? :spudwhat:
If it was that, then there should be a flat spot somewhere on the tyre to show it.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear this happened to you Paul, and I hope you heal up fast.

Regardless of whether it was the tyres or not, BT020s suck in my opinion, so putting summat else on isn't a dumb idea.

beyond

14th December 2006, 14:10

Thanks for the comments guys.

Yep, I put it down to the tyres. There was no diesel, oil, dust, damp, crap or anything else. Kornholio was right behind me and had no problems at all and I sure wasn't pushing it.

I think you will find Kornholio saw the smoke pouring off once the bike had gone into a full on slide. Once they start sliding hard, they pour a fair amount of smoke off them. I was behind Fishy when his CBR1000 broke loose and slid hard and there was so much smoke you could hardly see. Looked real cool until you realise whats going on :(

Z6's are an awesome tyre on most bikes, especially the heavier machines in both wet and dry. I've had two sets of those and they are great.

Colemans is fixing my bike and they don't stock Metzler, so a Diablo Strada on the back with a Corsa on the front seems to be the right combo from the sounds of it. I don't want to leave the shop with the Bt020's still on.

However, once I'm back on the bike I'll probably ride in a straight line as I'll be paranoid about cornering again. :)

Fishy

14th December 2006, 14:29

I was behind Fishy when his CBR1000 broke loose and slid hard and there was so much smoke you could hardly see. Looked real cool until you realise whats going on :(

And then my loverly dismount into an amazing show of acrobatics up the road :yes:

beyond

14th December 2006, 14:57

And then my loverly dismount into an amazing show of acrobatics up the road :yes:

:(

Yep, wasn't nice to watch either. Always great when you see a downed rider get up quickly again. :)

Not so good for the bike though :(

BarBender

14th December 2006, 16:38

Have you guys tried lowering the tyre pressure before fanging or hitting the track? Just from these comments it sounds like you have too much pressure in, and once the tyres are getting hot its sliding round on you. Drop a few PSI before giving it heaps (but allow extra time for the tyres to warm up), and see how you get on.

Yes I've tried lowering the pressure and it did make a slight difference but it wasnt long before I was sliding. Like some have said - its an exceptional tyre in the wet. But I also find the Strada great for general use. I've done a drag meet and about 5K on my rear and it still looks like its got another 5k-6k left in it. Thats pretty good considering its having to put up with about 190 at the crank.